The present invention is a method for operating a rapid pressure swing adsorption unit. In particular, the method operates the rapid pressure swing adsorption unit so that the tail gas (exhaust gas) is released at a pressure greater than 30 psig.
Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is widely practiced commercially to separate and purify gases, including air separation. Rapid pressure swing adsorption (RCPSA), which operates on shorter cycle times than PSA, can also be used for air separation. The tail gas (adsorbed gas) is emitted from each process at a blowdown pressure, typically 5-15 psig.
In the oil refinery setting, it is often desirable to separate a feed gas into a tail gas (adsorbed gas) and a non-adsorbed gas and send the tail gas to a fuel header or other refinery waste stream that is typically at pressures of 60-80 psig. Therefore, it is desirable that the tail gas be emitted at these higher pressures. Otherwise, a tail gas compressor must be inserted between the separation unit and the fuel header. Purity and/or recovery of the product gas must also be high.